I am a singer, songwriter, composer, actress, and host.
I was born in the beautiful city of Zaporizhzhia. I started singing at the age of three, and from the age of four this “little magical girl” was invited to all city singing competitions, where I won my very first award.
However, music alone was not enough for me, so my parents enrolled me in a figure skating school. From that moment on, sport and music have always been part of my life.
At the age of five, I joined a music studio and began singing in a children’s choir. At six, I became a soloist of the children’s vocal group. It was a real success! A year later, I was accepted into a music school, majoring in piano.
At the same time, to the surprise of my family, I switched from figure skating to handball. Figure skating was full of lyricism, but I wanted a tough, competitive sport, and the fragile girl dared to make this bold decision.
The next important step in my life was enrolling in a physics and mathematics school. At that time, complete harmony settled in my soul:
school for breakfast, music for lunch, training for dinner, homework before bed.
Whenever I had a free minute, I devoted it to my favorite activity: organizing performances and amateur concerts at school, where I performed my own songs.
At the age of 11, two important events happened in my life at once: I replaced handball with cycling, and I was invited to sing in the folk choir “Yablunka.” From that moment on, I fell in love with folk songs and continue to perform them at my concerts to this day.
Five years later, I graduated from secondary school and music college and earned a sports rank in cycling. With this experience, I stepped into adult life.
At 16, I was invited to work at a restaurant, where I fully experienced both the joy and bitterness of my profession. That first job only strengthened my will and desire to keep moving forward.
I dreamed of the big stage and went to a young performers’ competition in Donetsk. It was there that I met a person who played a huge role in my creative life — the renowned singer, composer, and poet Oleksandr Tyshchenko, a jury member and performer of the legendary song “Prima Ballerina,” which was sung by the entire country.
Oleksandr was strict with young vocalists, but generously shared his professional secrets. His masterclasses became a lifelong school for me.
After the competition, I received an offer to work in the vocal duet “Chorna Perlyna” (Black Pearl) — a professional project featuring original songs. The creative producer of the duet was the talented musician Oleksandr Zhuravliov. We collaborated with the best composers, poets, and arrangers of Zaporizhzhia. At the “Chervona Ruta” festival (then held in Sevastopol), the young duet became a prizewinner.
There I also met Dima Dobryi-Vechir, the leader of the cult band “Viy,” who invited me to join his band. This meeting marked the beginning of my Kyiv period.
In Kyiv, I had to learn many things all over again. I am endlessly grateful to the wonderful singer and outstanding vocal teacher Lina Prokhorova, who became my Kyiv vocal mentor.
Another fateful meeting with Oleksandr Tyshchenko happened in Kyiv, when the band “Viy” was recording their next album at his studio. From that day on, I began working there regularly, recording backing vocals for many artists.
Eventually, the idea of my solo project was born. Oleksandr suggested that I perform his song “Only About Love.” I put my entire soul into its powerful music and lyrics.
“No one has ever sung my songs better than you,” — these words from Oleksandr Tyshchenko became the most important words of my creative life. I cherish them to this day.
Thus, the singer NATANIKA was born.
The next song recorded was “Together Forever,” which became the title of my debut album. The music was written by the talented composer Oleksandr Chukalenko (Baron), and the lyrics by the well-known Ukrainian singer Oksana Khozhai.
The next stage was the album “I’m Not Like Everyone Else,” featuring songs written especially for me by Oleksandr Tyshchenko.
Later, I met composer and poet Oleksii Malakhov. He wrote one song for me — I loved it. Then another — I loved it too. Then came the third, fourth, fifth… We got so inspired that we recorded an entire album called “I’m Losing Weight Because of You.”
Our collaboration continues today. The most recent album, also written by Oleksii Malakhov, is titled “Living Beautifully.”
Many creative plans lay ahead, but everything changed in February 2022. The war began.
In summer, I received a call inviting me to Germany for a charity concert for Ukrainian refugees. Since then, I have been living in Germany and continue performing for Ukrainians. It is especially heartwarming that many Germans attend my concerts and have already fallen in love with Ukrainian songs.
Here in Germany, I returned to another childhood passion — painting. I devoted my free time to it, which resulted in an exhibition of my artwork, followed by another one. Later, the well-known German store “Malen nach Zahlen” offered my paintings to their customers as paint-by-numbers kits. I won’t hide it — it was incredibly pleasant!
I dream that after our victory, I will return home to Ukraine, where I will continue singing, painting, and bringing celebration to people.
NATANIKA
- I am passionate about photography and photograph everything around me.
- I love cooking. The best Ukrainian borscht is “Borscht by Natanika.”
- I hate shopping malls — I get lost and forget why I came.
- I follow innovations in mobile technology, gadgets, and automobiles — greetings to my physics and mathematics school!
- I have no idols — only favorite musicians, singers, and actors.
- I don’t want to be like anyone else. I’m used to being myself.
- I love animals. A black cat and a red squirrel are officially “registered” at my home.
- I prefer sporty or elegant clothing. I buy what I like, not what is trendy.
- Favorite colors: white, blue, green.
- My home is a place for rest — it must be quiet and green. Oh, and with a huge bathroom!
Stay with me!
Always yours,
Natanika
Discography
Natanika’s creative portfolio includes four albums:
“Together Forever,” “I’m Not Like Everyone Else,” “I’m Losing Weight Because of You,” “Living Beautifully.”
Songwriters: Oleksandr Tyshchenko, Oleksii Malakhov.
Music Videos
- “Rain” — director Ihor Kostromskyi
- “Paparazzi” — director Oleksandr Siutkin
- “I’m Losing Weight Because of You” — director Oleksandr Siutkin
- “Tears Under the Rain” — director Filip Kniaziev
- “Make Up Your Mind!” — directors Dmytrii Mukhin / Kateryna Osynska
Ukraine — Kyiv
